Six Pack- Week 14

Each week during the 2024 college football season Draft Nation will take a look at six players who helped their draft stock with solid performances. As the season progresses, Draft Nation will start to zoom in on first round talent. 

Here is the six pack from this past week:

Syracuse- Quarterback, Kyle McCord

The Syracuse Orangemen pulled off a huge upset this past weekend beating the Miami Hurricanes 42-38. 

Senior transfer quarterback Kyle McCord outdueled Heisman hopeful Cam Ward by going 26 of 36 for 380 yards and tossing three touchdowns. The 6-foot-3 signal caller transferred from Ohio State after he wasn’t given assurances that he would be the Buckeyes’ starting quarterback in 2024. Ironically, his former squad lost 13-10 to the Michigan Wolverines and he helped end the Hurricanes chance at an ACC Championship, McCord said postgame, “Everything comes full circle.” 

The Syracuse quarterback has thrown for 4,326 yards and 29 touchdowns along with 12 interceptions this season. He leads the conference in yards (4,326), completions (367), attempts (558), yards per game (360.5) and interceptions (12).

McCord is considered a mid-round draft pick who could improve his stock by having a great post-season and NFL combine efforts. He has already accepted an invitation to the East-West Shrine Bowl and in a season where several top quarterbacks have underperformed, McCord could move up draft boards.

As a prospect, McCord has an NFL arm and can make all the throws. He is efficient at going through his progressions and has a quick release when he spots his target. The biggest downfall with McCord is playing under pressure. He lacks the mobility of most prospects and struggles throwing on the run.

Michigan- Running Back, Kalel Mullings

The Michigan Wolverines salvaged what has been a terrible season by beating their arch nemesis No. 2 Ohio State 13-10 and knocking them out of the Big 10 Championship game. 

Although his numbers weren’t the most impressive in week 14, fifth-year senior running back Kalel Mullings definitely deserves a place in this week’s six pack.

Mullings carried the ball 32 times for 116 yards and one touchdown against a defense that knew he was getting the ball. Wolverines quarterback Davis Warren was 9-16 for 62 yards and two interceptions, so Mullings was the only sign of life coming from a downtrodden Michigan offense.

This is the first season that Mullings has gotten more than just 36 carries and he has made the most of it. Mullings has 948 yards on 185 attempts and 12 touchdowns for the Wolverines. 

Considered nothing more than a late round draft pick, Mullings is a physical back, and at 6-foot-2 and 233-pounds and is a handful to bring down. He has excellent vision and is effective in short yardage situations. On the downside, he has not played a lot in college and lacks the speed to put pressure on a defense. 

Draft Nation believes he can be a solid role player for a team looking for a short yardage bruiser.

Colorado- Cornerback/ Wide Receiver, Travis Hunter

Colorado finished off their regular season with a 52-0 win against Oklahoma State to go to 9-3. 

Travis Hunter completed a possible Heisman Trophy winning season by hauling in 10 catches for 116 yards and three touchdowns. The two-way superstar also collected one tackle and picked off his fourth pass of the season.

Hunter has been stellar on both sides of the ball for the Buffaloes this season. He has hauled in 92 passes for 1,152 yards and 12 touchdowns, while collecting 32 tackles, four interceptions and 11 passes defended.

The junior two-way player is on the short list for both the Heisman Trophy and the first overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft. Hunter has already stated that he plans on playing both ways in the NFL and could be a No. 1 wide receiver with No. 1 cornerback skills, something football fans have not seen before.

Hunter is an explosive athlete, who is a natural born playmaker. Playing a full game in the NFL will take its toll on Hunter and it remains to be seen if a team will allow him to start on both sides of the ball. On defense, Hunter is a terrible tackler who is not very physical but is an extraordinary playmaker. 

Draft Nation believes that Travis Hunter can step right in and be a team’s No. 1 receiver on day one. His injury history could make it a difficult decision to play him on both offense and defense however.

South Carolina- Quarterback, LaNorris Sellers

South Carolina finished off their strong 2024 campaign by beating their in-state rivals the Clemson Tigers 17-14 to go to 9-3. The Gamecocks were led by redshirt freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers and the 6-foot-3 signal caller threw for 164 yards while running for 166 yards and two touchdowns, including a 20-yard touchdown with just over one minute left in the game. 

Sellers is a rising star in college football and this past weekend against Clemson opened some eyes to his athleticism. On the season he has thrown for 2,274 yards and 17 touchdowns, while rushing for 655 yards and seven more scores. 

The youngster has the skillset to become a superstar and a top draft pick in a couple of seasons. He needs to work on his overall mechanics and play more in control but Sellers is a name to watch in 2025 and beyond.

Indiana- Quarterback, Kurtis Rourke

The Indiana Hoosiers finished their best season in school history with a 66-0 thrashing of the Purdue Boilermakers. Sixth-year quarterback Kurtis Rourke ended his career strong with 349 yards passing and six touchdowns in the win.

Rourke transferred to Indiana after playing five seasons at Ohio University, finishing the season throwing for 2,827 yards, 27 touchdowns, and only four interceptions. He completed 70.4 % of his passes and showed leadership abilities that will go a long way to helping his draft stock.

The 6-foot-3 quarterback came into the season most likely looking to be an undrafted free agent. However, after leading the Hoosiers to an 11-1 record and playing as well as he did in the Big 10, the 24-year-old is now seen as a mid-round pick.

Rourke has a strong arm and throws a pretty deep ball that is always on target. He has improved his decision making and footwork in 2024 and Draft Nation looks forward to watching him perform in the post season and combine.

Oregon- Edge Rusher, Jordan Burch

The Oregon Ducks finished off their perfect regular season with a 49-21 victory over the University of Washington and will now play Penn State in the Big 10 championship game. 

Jordan Burch, a fifth-year senior, was a one-man wrecking crew with three tackles and 2.5 sacks. He continues to ascend draft boards and is now considered a second day selection. On the season, he has 28 tackles, 8.5 sacks, and has six passes defended. The 6-foot-6 edge rusher does a phenomenal job of getting his hands up and disrupting the passing lanes and is a high-energy player who explodes off of snaps to get leverage on opponents.

Burch could be a solid third round pick with high upside for an NFL team.

Bonus—Ashton Jeanty

This past Saturday, Jeanty ran for 226 yards on 37 attempts and one touchdown. In 12 games, Jeanty has already run for 2,288 yards and 28 touchdowns and is 340 yards behind Barry Sanders’ record of 2,628 yards however Sanders put up those numbers in 11 games against a fairly competitive schedule. Jeanty has yet to reach those numbers, and he's already played in 12 games and counting.

Secondly, Sanders's bowl game numbers are not included in the final tally as postseason play did not count toward a player's official stats until the late-90s. If they had been, Barry Sanders would have had an additional 222 yards and five touchdowns when including his Holiday Bowl numbers.